LibrePlanet returns March 25-26, 2017, call for proposals for annual free software conference now open

BOSTON, Massachusetts, USA -- Tuesday, September 27, 2016 -- The
Free Software Foundation (FSF) today announced the dates for the
LibrePlanet free software conference, which will be held March
25-26, 2017, in the Boston area. The call for sessions is now
open, and registration, volunteer applications, and exhibitor
applications will open in October.

LibrePlanet is an annual conference for free software
enthusiasts. The conference brings together software developers,
policy experts, activists and computer users to learn skills,
share accomplishments and face challenges to software
freedom. Newcomers are always welcome, and LibrePlanet 2017 will
feature programming for all ages and experience levels.

This year, the theme of LibrePlanet is "The Roots of Freedom."
This encompasses the historical "roots" of the free software
movement -- the Four Freedoms, the GNU General Public License and
copyleft, and a focus on strong security and privacy protections
-- and the concept of roots as a strong foundation from which the
movement grows.

"LibrePlanet is an impactful, exciting free software
conference. Attendance has grown each year, yet the
community-minded atmosphere has grown even stronger," said John
Sullivan, executive director of the FSF.

Call for Sessions

"We are looking forward to session proposals from people around
the world, at all levels of speaking and technical
experience. LibrePlanet features developers, users, students,
activists, policymakers, and others. The free software movement
depends on them all, and LibrePlanet 2017 will highlight their
contributions," said Georgia Young, program manager at the FSF.

About LibrePlanet

LibrePlanet is the annual conference of the Free Software
Foundation. What was once a small gathering of FSF members has
grown into a larger event for anyone with an interest in the
values of software freedom. LibrePlanet is always gratis for
associate members of the FSF. To sign up for announcements
about LibrePlanet 2017, visit https://www.libreplanet.org/2017.

About the Free Software Foundation

The Free Software Foundation, founded in 1985, is dedicated to
promoting computer users' right to use, study, copy, modify, and
redistribute computer programs. The FSF promotes the development
and use of free (as in freedom) software -- particularly the GNU
operating system and its GNU/Linux variants -- and free
documentation for free software. The FSF also helps to spread
awareness of the ethical and political issues of freedom in the
use of software, and its Web sites, located at fsf.org and
gnu.org, are an important source of information about
GNU/Linux. Donations to support the FSF's work can be made at
https://donate.fsf.org. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA,
USA.

More information about the FSF, as well as important information
for journalists and publishers, is at
https://www.fsf.org/press.